September 18, 2017Indigenous Australia gets its first official public holiday

Who’s heading to Canberra next May 28?

The ACT has passed some historic legislation, retiring their annual Community and Family Day in favour of a Reconciliation Day. Instead of in September, it’ll be held on the first Monday on or after the anniversary of the 1967 Referendum.

“The 1967 referendum, the 50th anniversary of which we marked this year, saw more than 90 per cent of Australians vote to give the Commonwealth the power to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and recognise them in the national census,” said ACT Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs Rachel Stephen-Smith. “The end of reconciliation week, 3 June, commemorates the High Court of Australia’s landmark Mabo decision in 1992. This case paved the way for Native Title.”

It’s great news for people who want us to move further towards being a more inclusive nation, and mildly upsetting for calendar companies who’ve already sent their files to the printer.